Forever And Always
by jumpthenfallx
Summary: Miley Stewart is a worldwide superstar. When she hears of ex Nick Gray again the morning of the AMA's, what will happen? Niley oneshot. R


Forever and Always.

Miley Stewart woke up to her BlackBerry **(A/N: I have gotten a recent obsession with BlackBerrys! Lol) **vibrating on the bedside table beside her, and she saw the name 'London Tipton' flash across the screen. She sat up and rubbed her eyes before grabbing it and answering the call.

"Hey, Miles. It's London. Are you going to the AMA's tonight? I hear it's going to be awesome!" London said into the phone. Miley giggled and rolled her eyes playfully at her friend as she began to speak.

"London, honey, of course I'm going. I'm nominated for 4 awards and I'm performing, as well as presenting. So the answer would be yes, sweetie. I am going," Miley said, and London giggled and said, "Sorry. Whoopsies. Forgot about that. So, I hear the Gray brothers are going to be there tonight. Nominated for 3 awards, and performing their new single."

"Ugh, London, don't remind me. Seeing Nick is the last thing I want to do. Not after what happened between us. London, I can't handle seeing him again, let alone his brothers. What am I going to do?" Miley groaned, and London smiled to herself.

"You obviously didn't read what's on Just Jared and oceanUP then, huh?" she asked. Miley crinkled her nose in confusion and walked over to her dresser, where there was a picture of London, Miley, and their best friends, Sharpay, Gabriella, Alex, Mitchie and Lilly. But recently, Alex had been taken out of the group due to what everyone but Miley called disloyalty to Miley. Miley simply called it backstabbing.

"2 reasons why I don't know, London. Firstly, I haven't turned on my computer, TV, radio, nor read the paper since yesterday. And secondly, I don't read those gossip sites. They're full of sick rumours about people like us," Miley said with a look of disgust on her face.

"Then you won't want to see a video of Nick and Alex breaking up. Am I right or wrong?" London asked. With those words, Miley froze. Alex, her ex-best friend, had dated Miley's ex-boyfriend, Nick, thinking it would be OK, with Miley. That had been the reason she had been kicked out of the group.

"London, what are you talking about? Are you delusional this morning or something? Did Elsie put something in your morning coffee?" Miley asked, and London laughed and said, "No. Elsie's off work today anyway since we'll just be getting ready for the AMA's. Miley, it's true. Lilly was awake until 4am, and then she went onto Just Jared and saw the video. Miles, you have to watch it! This could mean the start of you and Nick again!"

"You mean ... there's actual proof that they broke up? It's for real? London, this isn't the start of anything for me and Nick. We ended a long time ago. And anyway, I have a boyfriend now. Does the name Jake Ryan ring a bell?" Miley asked, and London took a deep breath.

"Even though it's been 2 years since you and Nick broke up, I know you miss him. A lot. We can all see it. Even Alex saw it before she dated Nick last year. Miley, you ... you haven't been the same since you and Nick broke up. We all know that you still love him, so what are you doing with Jake? Please. Tell me before I say something I know I'll regret," she said. Miley sighed.

"I love Jake. Not Nick. I got over that. I'm not different, London. I just grew up. Losing two of your best friends as well as your boyfriend causes you to do that. I'm happy with Jake. He's the one I love," Miley lied. She knew that she was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince London, but she needed to prove to herself that she was definitely over Nick. Her only problem was ... she knew she wasn't.

"Miley, stop trying to convince yourself. Stop lying to yourself. To me. To _Nick_. Joe called me last night. He ... he said Nick's been crying himself to sleep since the break-up. _2 years_. That's how long Nick's been in pain. And I know you are in pain too. So why are you with Jake when we all know that you and _Nick_ are the perfect couple. Not you and_ Jake_," London said.

"London. Stop it. I'm not with Nick. I'm not going to get back with Nick. I don't want my name mentioned in the same _sentence_ as his. Me and Nick are _done._ I'm perfectly happy with Cody. The man I love," Miley lied. She hated how she sounded so ... bitchy. But she couldn't stand to talk about Nick any longer.

"Fine. Just do me a favour. Watch the video. For a start, you're mentioned in it by Alex. And secondly, you'll most likely be asked about it at the AMA's, so just a heads-up. I'll talk to you at the awards," London said and hung up. Miley sighed and hung up on her end of the line. She threw the BlackBerry onto the bed and walked over to her desk, where she started up her MacBook.

She immediately went onto Just Jared and read the heading: **NALEX IS OVER!!!** Miley sighed and clicked the heading, and she read the article:

_Rumours of a year-long relationship between Alex Russo and Nick Gray have been confirmed when they broke up outside a Starbucks in the middle of an L.A. street yesterday evening, the day before the AMA's. Alex was quoted as saying, 'I don't want to date a guy who can't get over his ex.' When Nick asked which ex, she immediately said Miley Stewart. Looks like she just confirmed the old relationship between her ex-boyfriend and her ex-best friend, as well as the relationship with Miley Stewart and rumoured beau, Jake Ryan. Watch the video below to fully understand what we're saying here._

Miley's jaw dropped. London had been right. She was mentioned. Miley scrolled down the page and saw the video. She clicked the play button and began to watch:

_Alex walks over to Nick and says, "Nick, we need to talk. It's important." Nick sighs. "What?" he asks. "I think we should break-up," she replies. Nick sighs again. "Why? What's wrong?" he asks. She says, "I don't want to go out with a guy who can't get over his ex." "Which ex would that be?" he questions, looking down at her as tears start rolling down her cheeks. "Miley. Nick, I lost **everything** when I began dating you. I lost my best friends, hundreds, if not thousands, of fans that claimed I stole Miley's man, the respect of so many people around the world. None of my best friends will talk to me, because of the 'no dating your friend's ex' rule. They say I broke it. Nick, I want my best friends back. I want my life back," she replies. Nick nods slowly and says, "I get it. Alex, I tried to get over her. For the last two years, I've tried pushing her to the back of my mind. But I can't get her out of my head. I can't close my eyes without seeing her crying the day we broke up, or seeing her laughing whenever we were watching movies at my house. I'm sorry." The last two words of Nick's small speech were whispered. "I totally understand. I know that someday, you two will get back together," she says. Nick looks down and shakes his head. He says, "She's with that zombie slaying dude now." "True love always finds away. I'll see you around, Nick," Alex says, and with those words, she walks away._

The video ended as Miley sat there, staring at the screen with tears coming down her cheeks heavily. She had finally seen how badly Nick and Alex had suffered from what had happened. She had to admit, the day Alex accepted a date with Nick was the worst day of Miley's life, but she had learnt to get over it, with the help of her other friends.

Miley wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, and she picked up a framed picture sitting on her desk. It was of her, Nick and Alex, before the break up. She stared at it for a moment. Tears landed on the glass of the frame silently. She suddenly screamed loudly and threw it at the wall. She stood up and started throwing other pictures at the wall. Ones of her and Alex as children, ones of her with all her friends, and ones she had taken with Nick when they were together.

The door burst open, and Miley's father, Robby Ray, rushed in. He took Miley in his arms and let her sob into his chest. He glanced at the broken frames and shattered glass in the corner of his room. He then looked down at Miley. His daughter had become a mess. She was broken.

"Baby girl, what happened? What's wrong?" Robby Ray asked. He stroked her hair as she sniffled and looked up at him. She looked like she was ten years old again, and had just found out that her mother had passed away.

"Daddy ... Nick ... Alex ... broke up ... because ... me ... London ... Jake ..." Miley sobbed, and Robby Ray pulled her into a hug again as she began to sob harder into his chest. "Baby girl, calm down. Take a deep breath and tell me," he said.

Miley took a deep breath and wiped her tears. She pulled away from the hug and sat down on the bed. She pushed herself up against the wall and pulled her legs up close to her. She held onto them as she spoke. "Daddy ... London called me and started telling me that Nick and Alex broke up, and then she started asking me why I was with Jake. And we got into a small tiny little fight, if you could call it that, and then she told me to check Just Jared and she hung up, so I did, and I saw the video of Nick and Alex breaking up. It was because he can't get over me, Daddy."

Robby Ray sat on the edge of Miley's bed and looked at his daughter as she sniffled and wiped away the remaining tears. He sighed and looked at her corner again. He quickly looked back at her and said, "Miles ... you're both in a bad way. You both have been since the break-up. Why don't you just work things out with him before they get any worse? And I agree with London. Why are you with Jake when you love Nick?"

"I love Jake, Daddy. Not Nick. It never will be Nick again. Not after the way things ended. He broke my heart when he dumped me, Dad. I'm done with him," Miley said quietly. Robby Ray sighed and stood up.

He kissed her forehead softly and stood straight. "Get dressed and eat some breakfast. Your friends are coming in an hour to get ready for the awards. I'll send them up when they come. I'll see you soon." With those words, Robby Ray left her sitting on her bed. Miley sighed and grabbed a jeans and a blouse. She pulled it on with some Uggs and ran down for some breakfast.

**YLMB . YLMB . YLMB . YLMB . YLMB**

Miley opened her bedroom door and Sharpay, Gabriella, Mitchie and Lilly ran in. London slowly walked in behind them and ignored Miley. She sat down in a chair and started applying lip gloss. The others all hugged Miley and glanced from Miley to the smashed pictures, then they all put their bags down and looked at each other.

"London, Miley can curl your hair for you. We all know that you think the rest of us are crap at it," Mitchie said and giggled. London looked down and pulled mascara out of her make-up bag, and she said with hostility in her voice, "No thanks. I'll do it myself."

"London, a word, please," Miley said. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed London's arm and pulled her into the ensuite bathroom. She looked at her, and London looked down and said, "What do you want, Miley?"

"I'm sorry," Miley said quietly.

"I tried to help you. I tried to help you get your feelings out. I tried to help you vent. But you pushed me away. Just like you always do. Just like you have since you met Jake. Ever since you met him, it's like you don't need us anymore. You can't keep pushing us away, Miley," London said coldly.

"I know, and I'm sorry. It was my last intention. And it doesn't matter anyway. I'm thinking of breaking up with him before we go into the awards tonight," Miley said, grabbing her make-up from the counter, and she turned to see London smiling.

"Apology accepted. But seriously? Breaking up with Jake? You said you loved him," London said. Miley smiled.

"I just think he'd be better with someone else. And no one likes the idea of me dating him anyway. You don't, my dad doesn't ..." Miley said, and she grabbed her curling iron from the cupboard and started walking out, but London stopped her.

"Miley, forget what I think. Forget what your dad thinks. Do you really want to break up with Jake? I'll forget what I think of him if he makes you happy," London said.

"He simply brought a smile back to my face. The smile I most definitely needed. I love him, sure. Just ... not in that way," Miley said, and she walked out. London smiled and walked out to see the others all applying make-up.

"Well, ladies, Miley has to look _amazing_ for a certain someone tonight," London said, smirking. Miley looked at her, shocked, and said, "London, no, I'm not looking good for him. I'm only just about to break up with Jake. A break before another man would be nice!"

"You're going to break up with Jake?!"

London and Miley glanced over to the others to see their shocked faces, and Miley smiled and said, "Yes. It's for the best. I think he could do better. Like, _Mitchie_ for example!"

"_What?!_ I'm not losing you guys for Jake! I mean, look what we did to Alex!" Mitchie said. They all looked down. Miley started playing with her fingers, and she twisted her purity ring as she said, "This is different. I just used Jake to try and get over Nick. I actually _loved_ Nick."

"I still couldn't that to you," Mitchie said quietly, and Lilly looked up at her friends and sighed. "There's something I should probably tell you guys. It's pretty important," she said softly. They all looked at her as she spoke.

"Alex called me crying last night. About the break-up. It was the first time we'd spoken in over two years. She said she missed us, and she dumped Nick so that we could have a shot at being friends again, and that Miley could have her chance to get back with Nick. She said she always had a feeling deep down that Nick loved Miley still, but she pushed the feeling away and ignored it. She said it turned out she was right. So ... I said I'd talk to her at the AMA's tonight and take a few pictures with her," she said, and the others all looked down.

"Maybe we were a bit harsh on her in the first place. I mean, come on. She had been my best friend since we were 3. And then Nick asked her out and she said yes and it all ended. I probably shouldn't have been so upset about it. Alex didn't deserve it," Miley said softly.

"Hey, this is _**not**_ your fault! She dated you ex! She knows the rule. 'No dating your friend's ex.' That rule has been a girl rule since, like, ever. Miley, you know that she shouldn't have said yes in the first place," Sharpay said, and Miley shrugged.

"I always miss her. You always miss a best friend. But I just couldn't speak to her after that huge fight we had when I found out," Miley said.

"Miles ... she went behind your back for 3 months with your ex-boyfriend. You only found out when you found a text on her phone about a date. Miley, none of this is your fault. She deserved everything she got," Gabriella said.

Miley smiled weakly, and she said, "Thanks, guys. I think ... I think I'm going to talk to her tonight. Get my best friend back. But right now, we should probably get ready."

They all smiled at Miley. She had always been so generous and kind and forgiving. She barely ever blamed other people. She nearly _always_ took the blame, even when it wasn't her fault. That was one of the reasons they loved her.

**YLMB . YLMB . YLMB . YLMB . YLMB**

Miley and Lilly stepped out of the limo arm in arm and onto the red carpet together, and the crowd erupted in cheers as the others all stepped out and smiled at the awaiting paparazzi. They all walked down the carpet together and Miley walked over to an interviewer calling her name frantically.

"Hey, how are you doing today?" she asked and smiled.

"I'm fine, thank you. And you, Miley?" the interviewer asked, and Miley smiled and said, "I am fine, thank you very much."

"So, Miley, how do you feel about the recent video of **Nalex** breaking up?" the interviewer asked, and Miley smiled falsely and looked down as she said, "I don't know. Selena and I used to be good friends, and we sort of drifted apart. If she dated Nick, I'm happy for her. If she didn't, then I'm happy for her then, too. But now we know she did. I don't know. If they're happier this way, then fine."

Miley knew that half the words she had just said were a lie. But she had to say them. For the fans. The innocent fans that were now divided into teams. Team Alex or Team Miley. Miley was snapped out of her thoughts by the interviewer asking another question.

"Was what Alex and Nick said about you previously dating Nick true?" he asked. Miley looked down again, and then she glanced at London, who was also being interviewed. "Um ... yeah, me and Nick had ... a past together. But it's long over. 2 years."

"So how did it feel to hear that he still has feelings for you, then?" the interviewer asked. Miley shrugged.

"I don't know. It was kind of ... awkward. I haven't spoken to him, nor Alex, about any of it, and I haven't spoken to either of them in a while. But I plan to tonight," Miley said and smiled falsely again.

"Well, thank you very much, Miley, and good luck tonight," the interviewer said and smiled.

"Thank you," she said. She smiled and walked away to where Mitchie was standing, talking to Sharpay. "Hey, guys," she said and sighed. "Asked about the break-up video, huh?" Mitchie asked, and Miley nodded and sighed again.

"I don't think being here is such a good idea anymore. It's kind of ... awkward for me. I know that he'll be here soon and – guys? What are you staring at?" Miley was cut off when she noticed that Sharpay and Mitchie were staring over her shoulder.

"Miles, you broke up with Jake, right?" Sharpay asked while still staring.

"Yeah, when he came to my house earlier. He was totally cool with it. Why do you ask?" Miley asked. Mitchie grabbed Miley's shoulders and turned her around. "Because otherwise you wouldn't be able to stare at how _**hot**_Nick looks tonight!" she exclaimed.

Miley's eyes scanned the crowd of music stars and legends, and finally her eyes found the one person she had been longing to look at in person – longing to talk to – for months on end. She looked him up and down, taking in the Armani suit he was wearing as he talked to an interviewer.

"Go talk to him! Miley, it's now or never!" Sharpay hissed. Miley shook her head and said, "I can't! He's in the middle of an interview. It'd be rude!" Mitchie rolled her eyes and pushed Miley towards Nick. Miley turned and glared at her friends as she walked backwards, and seconds later, she bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said, and she turned and froze to see Alex looking back at her with slightly red eyes. "A-Alex?" she whispered. Alex nodded and smiled weakly at Miley. "Hey, Miles. I've missed you," Alex replied. Miley's jaw dropped, but she quickly closed it and hugged Alex tightly.

"I've missed you too. Oh my gosh, Al, I'm so sorry! We treated the whole situation way too harshly and – oh, I'm so, so sorry!" Miley said, and Alex smiled and hugged Miley back, tighter than Miley was hugging her.

"I'm the one that should be sorry. You were my best friend and I dated you ex for a year, and for 3 months before that I went behind your back with him. I am so, so sorry!" Alex said, and both girls had tears in their eyes.

Miley pulled away from the hug and smiled weakly at Alex. "I've missed having you at the parties and the sleepovers and everything." Alex giggled slightly and said, "I've missed being there. And ... Miley ... Nick's missed you way more than you could imagine." Miley looked down.

"Can we please just ... forget Nick for tonight? I'll talk to him later. Right now, I just want to hang out with my best friend. I've missed you way too much," Miley said and giggled. Alex giggled too, and they walked over to Mitchie and Sharpay.

"Look who I found," Miley said and giggled, linking arms with Alex. Alex smiled nervously at Mitchie and Sharpay. Sharpay looked at Mitchie, and Mitchie looked back at her. They both nodded and smiled at Alex before engulfing her in a hug, chorusing, "We've missed you!"

Mitchie pulled away from the hug and froze. "Uh, Miley, maybe you should go inside now. There's a person coming that I think you wouldn't want to talk to right now." Miley froze and spun around to see Nick making his way closer with his brothers, Joe and Kevin.

"I'm going to find us some seats. London and Gabi are already inside, right?" Miley asked. Mitchie and Sharpay nodded. Alex and Miley rushed inside to see Gabriella talking to London in the front row. They waved at Miley and Alex to come over.

The two girls ran down to the front, and London and Gabriella engulfed Alex into a hug, just like Sharpay and Mitchie had, and they were squealing, "We've missed you so much!" Alex giggled and hugged them back as Miley sat down and smiled as she watched more and more stars walk into the theatre.

Suddenly, her eyes caught a pair of brown eyes belonging to a certain curly haired boy. She stared into his eyes, and by simply looking into his eyes, she could tell that there was something missing in his life. She quickly turned around again as Alex and London sat on either side of her as Mitchie, Sharpay and Lilly ran in and took their seats.

The lights dimmed and the host, Ryan Seacrest, walked on stage. The crowd applauded, and he smiled and started talking. "Welcome to the AMA's! Tonight we have performances from people such as the Gray Brothers, Miley Stewart, Mitchie Torres, Beyonce, Chris Brown, and many more! Now, the first award of the night is going to be Favourite Male Pop/Rock Artist! Here to present the award is someone very famous in the show business industry. Everyone please welcome ... Mr. Simon Cowell!"

Simon Cowell came on stage and presented the award, and everyone smiled when Chris Brown won.

"This is a really good show," Alex whispered to Miley, and Miley smiled and nodded as a stage hand ran over and told her to come backstage to get dressed for her performance. She said goodbye to her friends and ran backstage to change.

**YLMB . YLMB . YLMB . YLMB . YLMB**

Miley took a deep breath and looked at her watch. She had 5 minutes until she was on stage to perform. She could hear them presenting the Favourite Pop/Rock Group, and she smiled to herself when she heard the voice of JoJo yell, 'The Gray Brothers'.

A stage hand came in to her dressing room and led her towards the entrance to the performance stage, and as she walked closer, she saw Nick, Joe and Kevin Gray talking to each other as they walked back out of the exit of the stage. She froze, and when Nick looked up, so did he.

Miley looked down and started walking on past them, but Nick grabbed her arm and turned her around. "I'm so sorry," he whispered to her as tears filled his eyes. She shook her arm free and walked away as tears gathered in her eyes. She could feel the eyes of all three brothers on her, but she continued walking under the stage, where the platform that would lift her up onto the stage was.

She sighed as she heard Sharon Stone announcing her and she got onto the platform just in time, as the intro of the song started. She soon got on the stage and began singing the lyrics to her new single. Her eyes caught Alex's, and they smiled at each other. Her eyes scanned the crowd, and she saw Joe and Kevin sitting in their seats a few rows behind the girls, but Nick's seat was empty. Kevin saw were her eyes were looking and he mouthed, "He didn't come back with us."

Miley nodded and continued singing with even more passion in her voice. She could tell from the reaction of crowd that she probably sounded slightly better than she ever had before. She finished the song and bowed as tears gathered in her eyes.

The song had been one she had written about the break up with Nick. She finished waving to the crowd and walked back to her dressing room. She opened the door and jumped when she saw Nick leaning against the wall opposite the door, smiling at her.

"Nick?" she whispered, and he nodded and walked towards her. He closed the door and pressed her against it. He whispered in her ear, "I think we have some things to discuss, don't you? I'm so, so sorry for what I did to you. I know I broke your heart and I'm so sorry for that."

"Sorry doesn't cut it this time, Nick! You dated my _**best friend**_! Do you know how much it hurt me when I saw the text you sent her about a date?! To find out that my best friend had been sneaking around behind my back with the guy I had loved?! No, of course you don't know how it felt! Because you didn't go through what I went through!" she yelled and pushed him away from her so she could walk free from the door.

"I never meant to hurt you as badly as I did. It was never my intention. I ... I used Alex, OK? I dated her because she was like you. She had your personality, since you were best friends. I guess dating her tore you away from your best friend. I know that it was wrong of me, and I shouldn't have done it, and I regret it so, so much," Nick said softly.

"You know ... I was a mess for 2 months after we broke up. I wouldn't come out of my room. I wouldn't talk to anyone. I spent all my time crying or writing songs or writing in my journal. My friends didn't hear from me for days at a time. I was a complete mess. But Alex helped me out of it. Then I found out that she was going behind my back with you!" Miley snapped. Nick pressed her up against the wall and leaned in closer.

"I never meant to hurt you," he whispered.

"We all do things we don't mean," Miley whispered back. Nick looked down at her and took in every inch of her beauty. The way her hair curled. The way her eyes sparkled in the light. The way that, even though she was sweaty, she still managed to be the most beautiful girl Nick had ever laid eyes on.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"I know I'll probably regret saying this, but as much as I want to hate you for what you did to me, I forgive you," Miley whispered. Nick smiled at her and leaned in closer and pressed his forehead against hers. Miley's breath hitched. She could feel his breath on her face as she closed her eyes.

"There's something about you, Miley Stewart. Every time I'm with you, I catch my breath," Nick whispered in her ear. **(Yes, I got that from Wild Child! Sorry, I just love that line, no matter how cheesy it is! It's so sweet!)**

Nick leaned in closer, and within seconds, Miley felt Nick kissing her softly. She kissed back. She smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. This was the way things should be. Them. _Together._Forever and always.

**A/N: I was really bored, so I wrote a pretty long oneshot. Hope you enjoyed it. Review and tell me what you think of it. Thanks. REVIEW.**

**Love Charlotte xoxo**


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